Will Alabama college students foot the bill for accountability act? (poll)

As the Legislature returns to work this week, with the task of developing public-education budgets still ahead, college and university officials are anxiously waiting to learn how the new Alabama Accountability Act will impact their already diminished state appropriations.

The act, which seeks to hold K-12 schools accountable by granting tax credits to parents who withdraw their children from failing public schools in favor of private education, would reduce revenue to the Education Trust Fund.

"We are working very closely with our lawmakers just to try to make sure they understand what our budget needs are and what we'll need to move the system forward," he said.

While the two-year college system is not taking a position on the controversial bill, Heinrich said he is hopeful legislators will recognize the critical role higher education plays in bolstering the state's economy.

The two-year college system's $478.3 million budget request 2014 is closely tied to the state's economic-development plan, Accelerate Alabama, which focuses on workforce development and retention as a means to attract business and industry to the state.

"I'm also a realist in that there are some unknown at this point, but I feel like we play such a critical role in the state of Alabama and for the taxpayers of the state of Alabama that this will continue to be a priority for the Legislature," Heinrich said.

The potential for reduced higher-education funding comes as Alabama's public colleges and universities struggle to recover from the recession, which severely impacted state appropriations.

According to a study published this year by the Grapevine project at Illinois State University, Alabama has slashed public funding for higher education by more than $556 million since 2008, ranking fourth in the nation for higher-education cuts.

If funding continues declining, it could impact higher-education accessibility by forcing institutions to increase tuition and fees, said Gordon Stone, executive director of the Higher Education Partnership in Montgomery.

"If you allow the revenue source from the public to go down, then you really don't have public universities, which changes the way accessibility is defined," he said.

Early estimates of the financial impact vary widely.

State school board member Charles Elliott, District 6, said early
estimates from the Alabama Department of Education predict an impact of "tens of millions of dollars."

Meanwhile, State Superintendent Thomas Bice said it is still too early to make an accurate estimate until they can determine who can take advantage of the tax credits and the final list of failing schools.

"There really isn't a final estimate at this moment because there are still some unanswered questions in terms of regulations," he said.

The Alabama Association of School Boards has released an
analysis that estimates the cost at $30 million if 10 percent of
students at "failing" schools participate. That would go up to $240 million if 80 percent participate, according to the AASB.

Republicans legislators who passed the accountability act are calling that estimate unrealistic.

"I think they're just using the budget issue as a way to confuse the
public and put some doubt about what the bill is trying to accomplish," said Rep. Chad Fincher, R-Mobile.

Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Daphne, said the state has about $5.5 billion to spend on education compared to $1.7 billion in the general fund.